The Vermont Organ Donor Registry has announced an almost 700 percent increase in registered donors since the start of 2012.

The registry and its social initiative Donate Life Vermont started that year with 2,896 registered organ and tissue donors in Vermont, and by Jan. 1 of this year the registry had grown to over 23,000.

The registry, which started in 2010, credits multiple factors for the growth, such as Facebook's announcement this year of a partnership with Donate Life America to spread the word about organ donation.

The registry also partnered with the DMV this year to register when getting an enhanced driver's license.

The registry says more than 116,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, and this list includes more than 100 Vermonters.

Donate Life Vermont is looking for new stories to share with the rest of Vermont. If you or a loved one has been touched by organ donation, email your story to DonateLifeVT@gmail.com.

To learn more about the Vermont organ and tissue donor registry, or to register as a donor, you can visit www.DonateLifeVT.org or talk to the Donate Life Vermont team on Facebook and Twitter (@DonateLifeVT).